Register-gear for web-printing machines.



No. 745,572. TATENTED DEG. I, 190s.

` T T. GossAE.

EEGISTEE GEAR EOE WEB PRINTING MAGIIINES.

APPLIOATIGN FILED DBU. 1T. 1902.'

N0 MODEL. 3 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

PATENTED DBG. l; 1903.

T. GOSSAR. y REGISTER GEAR PoR-WEB PRINTING MACHINES,

APPLICATION FILED DEU. 17, i902.

3 'SHEETS-SHEET 2.

N0 MODEL.

l PATENTBD DBO. 1;.1903. y T. COSSA-R.

REGISTER GEAR FOR 'WEB- ERINTING MACHINES.

APPLIGATIDN IILBD DEU. 17. 1902.y

3 SHEETS-SHEET 3.

N0 MODEL.

UNITED STATES atented ecember 1, 1903.

lrrrleivcr OFFICE.v

THOMAS COSSAR, OF GOVAN, SCOTLAND.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 745,572, dated December 1, 1903.

Application iiled December 17, 1902. Serial No. 185,599. (No model.)

Printing Machines, (for vwhich applications for patent have been made in the following countries, viz: Cape Colony, dated October 9, 1902; Transvaal, dated October 14, 1902; Victoria, dated October 24, 1902; New South Wales, dated October 211, 1 902; Canada, datedl November 18, 1902, and Great Britain, dated November 27, 1902,) of which the following is a specification. Y

This invention has for its object to provide in connection with the feed-rollers of webprinting machines improved apparatus by means of which the rate of movement of the feed-rollers is accelerated orv retarded for the purpose of maintaining proper register in perfecting a printed web or for keeping one printed web in register with another in feeding it forward to the folding apparatusof the printing-machine.

The improved apparatus comprises register gear or mechanism which may be actuated by a handwvheel and shaft for acting on the feed-rollers to vary as'required their ordinarily uniform speed of rotation, but which is connected to devices arranged to perforate at suitable intervals the margin of the web during the printing. of one side of the paper, and to be operated during the perfecting or printing of the reverse side of the paper through the medium of said perforations, so as to transmit movement to the aforementioned register-gear and automatically mainand Fig. 6 across-section," as at the line XX in Fig. 4, showing the arrangement of devices employed for perforating the web as itis first Fig. 2 is a crossl printed and for automatically actuating the registergear. Fig. 7 is a longitudinal sectional elevation showing the feeler mechanism acting on a perforated web, one of the feelers having dropped through a perforation in the web..

Referring particularly to Figs. 1, 2, and 3` of these drawings, E is the rotating feed-roller or one of the feed-rollers for feeding forward the paper web in a printing-machine, the said roller being driven through a shaft G4 and 'gearing G5 by a spur-wheel R, carried by a The spur-wheel R2 is not directly fixed to y the shaft RS, but is keyed on the boss of a spur-wheel r6, loose on the shaft R3, with which are geared two spur-pinions r' r' on studs within a casing R6, also loose on the shaft and carrying a second pair of spur-pin'- ions rx rx, which mesh with a spur-wheel r2, keyed to the shaft R3, and also mesh with the pinions r' fr'. The shaft B.3 thus drives the spur-pinion R2 (and therefrom the shaft G4, from which the feed-roller E is operated) through the intermediary of the pinions rx rx, which are made of such length as to mesh with the pinion-s r r', in gear with the loose spur-wheel r6, to which the spur-wheel R2 is secured.

By turning the casing R6 in one direction or the other the speed of rotation of the spurwheels R2 and B. and of7 the feed-.roller E, and therefore the rate of feed of the web of paper, may 'be more or less accelerated orv retarded during such action on the casing, which is effected by means of a shaft R5, having on it a Worm r3, meshing withWorm-Wheel teeth r4,

,formed on the casing R6.

for the purpose above set forth; but in order IOO to provide for automatically operating this gearing to vary the speed of rotation of the feed-roller E the shaft R5 is connected by bevel or other gearing P to a shaft V26 of the automatic registering apparatus represented at Figs. 4, 5, and 6, a clutch P being fitted on said shaft or otherwise interposed to permit of throwing the automatic apparatus into or out of operation. This automatic registering apparatus consists of a reciprocating block S, sliding on a fixed bar S', attached to the framework of the machineand reciprocated by a cam S2, acting through levers S3 and S4, the forward reciprocation-t'. e., in the direction of travel of the web-being at a slightly-greater or slightly-less speed than that of the web during the first portion of the stroke and at exactly the same speed as the web during the remainder of the stroke. The lever S3 is slotted', so that by altering the position of the lever S4 along this slot the speed of travel of the reciprocating block S can be altered to suit different sizes of work being printed. The lever S4 is adjustably pivoted to the sliding block S, so that the punch and fingers hereinafter mentioned may be set to act on the proper point of the web. The reciprocating block S is formed to embrace the edge of the web w, the part below the web acting as a support to the web and having a slot S5 formed on it below the fingers to allow them to pass through the web and also carrying a die, through which a punch S6, moving vertically in the upper part of the reciprocating block S,passes. This punch S6 is raised and lowered to punch or perforate the web by a cam T, acting through levers T T3 and rod T2, this rod T2 passing through the punch S6, the punch S6 being provided with rollers T4 to engage the top and bottom sides of the rod. Two sets of verti cally-movable fingers U U are also carried in the reciprocating block S, one set, U, in advanceof and the other set, U', in the rear of the punch. The fingers U'U are provided with projections U2 U3, which rest on rods U4 U5, respectively. The fingers are raised and lowered by the action of cams U6 U7 on levers U3 U6, attached to the rods U4 U5, the rods U4 U5 being attached at their other end to levers U15 U16, pivoted on the framework of the machine. The levers controlling the punch and fingers are kept in contact with the cams by springs U16 U11 U12. The fingers U U are raised by the rods U4 U5 and descend by gravity when the rods are lowered by the cams. Each nger is also provided with a projection U13 U14, which when the finger is lowered acts in the travel of the sliding block S on a projection V on the lever V. This lever V is keyed to a shaft V2, journaled in the frame of the machine, this shaft also having a piece V3 secured to it. A toothed wheel V4 is provided keyed to a shaft V5, journaled in the frame of the machine, which through bevelgear V6 and the shaft V26 aforesaid is geared to the register-shaft R5. An arm V7isloosely journaled on the shaft V5 at the side of the toothed wheel V4. This arm is rocked by a crank-arm V8 on a shaft V6, acting through a rod V16. The pawls V11 V12 are pivoted on the arm V7, so that one pawl will engage the teeth of the toothed wheel V4 when the arm V7 is rocked in one direction, and the other pawl will engage the toothed wheel when the arm is rocked in the opposite direction. These pawls are formed so that they are kept out of contact with the toothed Wheel V4 by the piece V3 when the latter is in its normal position and act on the toothed wheel only when the piece V3 is moved away from under them by the action of any one of the finger projections U13 U14 on the projection V on the lever V. The piece V3 is kept in its normal position by a spring V13. This piece V3 is cut away at V14 and V15 and is provided with a projection V16, which acts on projections fixed to arms on the pawls V11 and V12, so that at the end of the movement of the arm in either direction the one pawl is lifted clear of the piece V3, while the other has come opposite the cut-away portion, thus allowing the piece V3 to be pushed back to its normal position by the spring V13, and so keep the pawls clear of the toothed wheel V4 during the next stroke of the arm V7 until again knocked out from under the pawls by the action of any one of the finger projections U13 U14 on the projection V on the 1ever V.

The shaft V6, on which are keyed the cams for working the sliding block, punch, and the fingers and crank for moving the rocking lever, is journaled in the frame of the machine and geared by toothed gearing to any of the principal shafts of the printing-machine, preferably the crank-shaft, and arranged to make half a revolution for each complete reciprocation of the sliding block S. Catches S7 are provided and pivoted to' the machine-framing to engage the rods actuating the punch and fingers, so that they may be pu't out of action whenrequired.

A hand-wheel is keyed to the shaft V5 for the convenience of the attendant. The shaft V5 is geared through bevel or other gearing V6 and shaft V26 to the shaft, which actuates the register-gearing. A clutch Pis provided on the shaft V26, which may be thrown out of gear should the automatic register not be required. A box S5 may be attached to the sliding block S below the die to catch the paper punched out and prevent it from falling into the machine. The sliding pieceS may be marked to show where the margin between the printings should come when the web is in proper register.

The automatic registering-gear described may be fixed to operate on the web at any point in proximity to the feeding-in rollers of the machine.

The action of the apparatus is as follows: Vhen printing the first side of the web w, the two sets of fingers U U are kept out of ac- IOO IOFl

IIC

Vof copies are printed.

tion by the catches S7 and only the punch S6 allowed to operate ou the web. Supposing the sliding block S to be at the commencement of its stroke in the forward directionc'. Q ,in the direction of travel of the web indicated by the arrow-by the revolution of the cam-shaft V9 the sliding block is caused to move forward at a slightly-less or slightlygreater speed than that of the web un til about three-fourths of its stroke is finished, the punch S6 meanwhile being held up by the rod T2. The speed of the sliding block now hecomes exactly the same as that of the web, and the cam T, actuating the punch, causes it to descend and perforate the web, the apparatus being arranged so that this perforation is made in one of the margins between the printings. AThe perforation Z is preferablyV ofthe shape shown inthe drawing Fig. 5,'

so that the lingers may enter it, Ithough the web may wave a little sidewise in its passage through the machine. As the sliding block S reaches the end of its stroke in thisvdirection the cam T acts to lift the punch S6 clear of the paper and hold it so during the stroke of the sliding block in the backward direction, the punch again perforating the web in the next forward stroke. ations continues until the required number When printing the second side of the paper, the punch is held out of operation by the catch S", and the catches which during the first printing held the fingers U U' out of operation are disconnected and the iin gers allowed to operate on the web. Supposing the sliding block to be starting its movement in the forward direction, the cam U7, acting through the levers U9 Ui and rod U5, allows the set of fingers U' to descend on the web on which they rest. Should the web be behind its proper position-7l. e., the position in which the second printing will print back to back with the first printing-one of the lingers U' will pass through the perforationxZ, and in the forward movement of the sliding block the projection U14 on such finger will act on the projection V on the lever V', push it outward, and so allow the pawl V1l on the rocking arm VT (which about this point is just starting its movement in the direction which, were the pawl acting on the toothed wheel, would cause the s peed of the web to be accelerated) to act on the toothed wheel V4 and so accelerate the speed of the web to bring it to proper register. Toward the end of the stroke of the sliding block the cam U7 acts to lift the set of fingers U' clear of the web and keep them so during the re` turn stroke and also during the second forward and return strokes of the sliding block. When the second forward stroke is starting, the cam Us acts to lower the set of fingers U, which then rest on the web, and should the web be farther forward than its proper position one of them will pass through the perforation, and in the forward movement of the sliding block the projection U13 on such fin- This cycle of oper-` ger will act on the projection V on the lever` V', push it outward` and so allow the pawl V12 on the rocking arm V7 (which about this time is starting its return stroke) to engage the toothed wheel V4 and/ so retard the web to bring it to proper register. Toward the end of the stroke'of the sliding block the cam U acts to lift the fingers U clear of the web and to keep them so during the return stroke and also during the following forward and return strokes of the sliding block. It will thus be seen that each set of fingers acts alternately on the web, one acting on the web while the other is inoperative.

The sliding piece S is moved slightly slower or faster than the web during the first portion of its stroke to make it more certain that one of the fingers will pass through the perforation, as the perforation might come between two of the ngers and both would rest on the web and neither pass through the vperforation, the amount of such difference of speed being about the thickness of one linger.

Having now described my invention, what I claim, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

l. In a printing-machine, the combination with a `feed-roller and a driving-shaft, of a casing loose on said driving-shaft, a spurwheel fixed on said shaft, a spur-wheel loose on said shaft, pinions carried by said casing and transmitting motion from said fixed spurwheel to said loose spur-wheel, a gear connection between said loose spur-wheel and the feed-roller and means for turning said casing on the driving-shaft as and for the purpose set forth. l

v2. The combination withf the feeding-roller ICO loosely mounted on said shaft, an external worm-wheel r4 formed on said casing, gearwheels r', fr carried on said casing, a gearwheel r2 fast on the shaft R3, a gear-wheel '1/5 loose on said shaft, a gear-wheel R keyed to the boss of said wheel r6, gear for transmitting motion from the wheel R to the feeding-roller E, and external shaft R5 having a worm rsengagingsaid worm-wheel r4, whereby the casing may be turned in either direction while the driving-shaft transmits motionto the gear-wheel R as and for the purpose set forth. v

3. In a printing-machine having a punch operated to perforate the margin of a paper web, the combination with the feed-roller, a driving-shaft and speed-varying mechanism operating said feed-rollerpfrom said shaft, of a sliding block, feelers carried by said sliding block and traversed over the perforated margin during the travel of the web in the second printing or perfecting operation, a shaft transmitting motion to said speed-varying IIO anism, a ratchet-Wheel on said shaft, pawls engaging said ratchet-Wheel, and. operated i5 from a earn ou the cam-shaft, and mechanism controlled by the-feelers for throwing one or other of the pawls out `of engagement vas and for the purpose set forth.

In Witness whereof I have hereunto set my zo hand in presence of two Witnesses.

THOMAS COSSAR.

Witnesses:

WALLACE FAIRWEATHER, WALLACE CRANSTON FAIRWEATHER. 

